• Erich Andersen, general counsel for TikTok and Chinese parent company ByteDance, will step down from that role in June to focus on fighting efforts to force a sale of the video app in the U.S.
  • Andersen was a key player in the company’s successful challenge in 2020 to the Trump administration’s attempt to ban TikTok and last year’s challenge that resulted in a judge blocking the state of Montana’s ban.
  • The four-year battle over TikTok is a significant front in a war over the internet and technology between Washington and Beijing.

General counsel Erich Andersen of TikTok and its Chinese parent company ByteDance will leave the position in June to concentrate on opposing attempts to compel a sale of the video app in the United States, the company announced on Friday. Andersen will continue to work for the company as special counsel, spearheading TikTok’s efforts to revoke laws that President Joe Biden has signed into law.

Actions to fight against American ban

Andersen played a significant role in the business’s successful 2020 opposition to the Trump administration’s attempt to outlaw TikTok and in the challenge last year that led to a judge halting the state of Montana’s ban.

TikTok is planning to challenge the bill on First Amendment grounds, and users of the app can also be expected to take legal action once more. TikTok claims that it has not shared and will not share U.S. user data with the Chinese government.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew praised Andersen and he expressed his gratitude that Andersen “has agreed to step into the role as special counsel to focus on this very important mission facing our company,”

Chew stated On Wednesday that the company anticipates winning its legal battle to stop the bill that may outlaw the app that 170 million Americans use.

TikTok controversy is a major front in Washington and Beijing’s four-year war over the internet and technology.

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Details about American ban

President Joe Biden signed legislation into law on Wednesday, giving ByteDance 270 days to remove the TikTok short-video app from the US or risk being banned.

The bill was passed with overwhelming support in recent days, which was fueled by widespread concerns among US lawmakers that China could use the app to monitor or access American data.

With his signature, Biden established a deadline of January 19 for a sale, one day ahead of his term’s expiration. However, if he feels ByteDance is moving forward, he may choose to extend the deadline by an additional three months.